If you’re a sales leader or B2B professional, you likely use LinkedIn to connect with other professionals and share regular updates. But are you using the platform to its full potential?

Publishing basic posts and reaching out to prospects are often great first steps. However, there’s so much more you can do to build high-value relationships, shorten sales cycles, and position your brand as an industry authority. With that in mind, check out these four strategies you can start using to get the most out of your LinkedIn profile.

1. Upgrade to LinkedIn Premium

Most LinkedIn users stick to the free version (in fact, 61% do). However, if you want to drive more business, it might be worth upgrading to the premium version.

Basic LinkedIn limits you to about 80 connection requests weekly, which might be enough for beginners, but it can be restrictive for teams chasing aggressive targets. With premium, you get about 160 weekly invites, doubling your outreach capacity.

Beyond increased connections, the premium version also offers several perks. For one, you can use Sales Navigator’s advanced filters to find the right decision-makers by industry, company revenue, or job seniority, cutting hours of manual research.

You can also use the TeamLink feature to find hidden connections across your team’s networks. For instance, if a prospect follows your colleague or engages with shared content, you can use that rapport to warm up cold outreach.

2. Build Relationships Before Outreach

Sending a sales pitch immediately after connecting can often come across as overly aggressive and defeat the purpose of reaching out in the first place. You end up pushing prospects away instead of building a relationship.

A smart strategy is to wait two weeks after connecting before sending any message. When you do reach out, resist the temptation to sell and focus on providing value. Ask thoughtful questions about current goals or challenges. If you spot an opportunity where your expertise or services could help, frame it as a suggestion, not a pitch. 

Of course, building these relationships takes time, but the payoff is worth it. When they’re ready to buy or partner, you’ll be top of mind — and not because you sold to them but because you supported them.

3. Use Email Engagement to Build LinkedIn Credibility

The last thing you want is for your communications to be interpreted as spam. Sending too many unsolicited LinkedIn requests to cold prospects can easily give that impression. 

A better approach is to trigger connection requests after a prospect opens an email, clicks a link, or replies. When they take such actions, they’re signaling interest, creating the perfect opportunity to send an invite that feels familiar rather than random.

You can also use email engagement to further personalize your outreach. If a prospect clicks on a link about a specific service or product, you can mention that in your request to show you’re paying attention to their interests. Over time, these interactions can set the stage for meaningful conversations — and eventually conversions as well.

4. Use LinkedIn’s Content Tools to Boost Your Visibility

Most professionals treat LinkedIn as a transactional feed, posting updates and calling it a day. But if you want to reach more people, you shouldn’t overlook articles and newsletters. 

Unlike regular posts, articles appear in Google and LinkedIn search results, which can pull in a broader audience beyond your immediate connections. Newsletters, meanwhile, often land right in subscribers’ inboxes and feeds, meaning your insights aren’t buried by the LinkedIn algorithm.

You can start by publishing long-form content that answers common industry questions or debunks myths. When you do, make sure to include niche keywords in the body and headline to boost search visibility.

You can also create a recurring series of newsletters exploring the trends your audience cares about. Your subscribers will often get email and app alerts, which doubles your reach. You can use each edition of the newsletter to:

• Tease upcoming product launches or events
• Repurpose blog posts or whitepapers into digestible takeaways
• Provide behind-the-scenes insights your audience can’t get elsewhere
• Include links to your articles or external content to drive cross-platform traffic

To get LinkedIn’s algorithm to show your content to a wider, like-minded audience, make sure to respond to comments and connect with subscribers who engage with your content or newsletters.

Maximize LinkedIn’s Potential With Proven Expertise

Figuring out LinkedIn by trial and error takes way too much time. You can join our LinkedIn 101 Training this April and learn proven ways to catch decision-makers’ attention, engage with prospects, and grow a network that actually brings opportunities. Contact our team today.